West Brom 0-0 West Ham - Five things learned from dour draw
Albion were held to a dour goalless draw at The Hawthorns on Saturday by West Ham. Although the team struggled to click, there were a few promising individual performances. Here are five things learned from the game.
1 GRZEGORZ KRYCHOWIAK SHOWS HIS PEDIGREE
The Polish midfielder came with a huge reputation, and he impressed on his home debut in an otherwise dull game. Showed promise with the odd touch of class and was able to get around the pitch surprisingly well. Tony Pulis wants him to be a more dynamic box-to-box presence, and will encourage him to get forward more once match fit. It will be interesting to see if he’s up to that task, because Albion definitely need some penetration, but the early signs are promising.
2 NACER CHADLI SORELY MISSED
After his selection mistake at Brighton, considering the players he had available, Pulis picked the right team for the West Ham game. Not only did he give Kieran Gibbs and Chris Brunt welcome starts, but he rewarded James Morrison for his goal on the south coast. But the Scotland international had an off-day, and with Chadli currently unavailable, there is little creativity on the bench. The Belgian hasn’t always sparkled in an Albion shirt, but there’s no denying his quality would be useful. The sooner he returns, the better.
3 GARETH BARRY HAS PLENTY LEFT IN THE TANK
The veteran midfielder equalled Ryan Giggs’s all-time Premier League appearance record, and he doesn’t look like letting up anytime soon. Pulis compared him favourably to Darren Fletcher, who played more than 80 consecutive game in blue and white, and the Welshman has been impressed with Barry’s fitness since his arrival. With him and Krychowiak impressing in central midfield, it may be tough for Jake Livermore to get back into the side following his well-earned rest.
4 KIERAN GIBBS ADDS A NEW DIMENSION
The left-back’s blocked effort was one of the few attempts Albion had all game, but it was encouraging to see a full-back in the opposition’s box during open play. Gibbs knows his way around the final third, and has the pace to overlap his winger when necessary. As the weeks and months wear on, his defending will improve under Pulis, but hopefully that desire to get forward isn’t strangled out of him. Because the modern full-back needs to be an attacking presence as well as a defensive one. And Gibbs has the potential.
5 IS IT TIME FOR HAL ROBSON-KANU TO START UP FRONT?
The Wales international was the only player to force Joe Hart into a save as the Baggies struggled in attack. Jay Rodriguez looked limp up front against Burnley too and so far the summer signing has looked more threatening off the left. (Although Brunt doesn’t deserve to lose his place.) Salomon Rondon has looked least likely to score of all three so far, and Wednesday’s game against Manchester City could be the perfect one for Robson-Kanu’s relentless running to cause a nuisance.
